Chapter 2

Spanish Armada

Spain's largest and most expensive naval force ever seen. It was assembled under King Phillip II of Spain and sent against England in 1588. When, at its large it prevented other European powers from establishing colonies in the New World.

Jamestown

(1607) First permanent English settlement in the New World located in Virginia on the Chesapeake Bay/James River; settled by the Virginia Company of London. Original settlers suffered from disease (especially malaria), internal strife, & starvation. Notable leaders include John Smith who demanded that "He who does not work, will not eat" and John Rolfe who introduced tobacco to the colony.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676, Rebellion against the local Native Americans by discontent former landless indentured servants led by Nathaniel Bacon. They chased Berkely out of town but when Bacon died, Berkely crushed the uprising. The rebellion led to a move from indentured servants to African slaves for labor purposes.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

1588, The English defeated the Armada which made French and English colonization of North America much easier. The defeat also helped bring the decline of Spanish empire and established England as an emerging sea power. It marked the start of the end of Spanish imperial dreams and the start of England on its way to becoming a naval dominance of the world oceans. English national spirit bloomed at the Spanish Armada's defeat along with a thirst for adventure and curiosity of the unknown.

Treaty of Tordesillas

An agreement between Portugal and Spain that divided up the New World between Spain and Portugal. The newly discovered lands to the west of an imaginary line in the Atlantic Ocean would belong to Spain and newly discovered lands to the east of the line would belong to Portugal. Spain got most of the Americas while Portugal got Brazil, India, and Asia.

Elizabeth I

Ascended to the throne of England in 1558, and oversaw a golden age known as the Elizabethan Age. Her reign saw a rise in the concept of nationalism in England, and a cultural flourishing, including Shakespeare's plays. She managed to restrain Catholic opposition and hold back the Puritan threat to her church to make Protestantism dominant in England. Under her reign the English sea dogs successfully fought back an invasion by the Spanish Armada, marking the start of the end of Spanish imperial dreams and the start of England on its way to becoming a naval dominance of the world oceans. English national spirit bloomed at the Spanish Armada's defeat along with a thirst for adventure and curiosity of the unknown. With a strong unified national state under a popular monarch, religious unity, and a sense of nationalism, the Elizabethan Age boasted commercial expansion and exploration and colonization in the New World. As a result, Elizabeth's reign saw many brave voyages of discovery, particularly to the Americas. These expeditions prepared England for an age of colonization and trade expansion, which Elizabeth herself recognized by establishing The Muscovy Company, as the first joint-stock company, and later, the East India Company in 1600.

Walter Raleigh

Established England's first American colony in 1585. He began efforts to establish permanent settlements on Roanoke Island (now part of North Carolina), off the coast of Virginia. Ultimately, the settlement failed. By 1590 the colony ended up mysteriously vanishing and came to be known as the Lost Colony. No one knows what became of the people who first settled there. Although it failed, this first attempt to establish permanent settlements in the New World paved the way for future English settlements.

Thomas Dale

Governor of Jamestown after John Smith. He was stern and didn't believe in laziness, created daily schedule.

John Rolfe

John Rolfe eased the tension between the natives and the English settlers, by marrying Powhatan's daughter, Pocahontas. Years of peace and prosperity followed. He also pioneered the practice of growing tobacco as a cash crop to be exported back to England. England became addicted to the crop making tobacco a success and brightening the prospects for English settlement in Virginia, making Virginia an economically successful colony.

Pocahontas

Pocahontas was Powhatan's daughter. She once saved John Smith when he was kidnapped in December 1607 and threatened by her fellow tribe members. Pocahontas became the connection between the Indians and the settlers, helping to preserve peace and trade. She further helped keep the peace by marrying John Rolfe, ushering in years of peace and prosperity and improving relations between the Indians and the colonists.

John Smith

Saved Jamestown from utter collapse by taking initiative when the colony was on the verge of destruction in 1608, its first year of existence. His strict discipline made the colonists face reality, when he enforced his rule; "he who shall not work shall not eat." Smith had also been helpful in trading with the Powhatan Indians for food. However, in the fall of 1609 he was injured by burning gunpowder and left for England. His leadership, resourcefulness, and strict discipline helped the Virginia colony get through the time period known as "the starving time" that came after the departure of John Smith. He never returned to Virginia, but promoted colonization of North America until his death in 1631.

Powhatan

The primary native leader of a loose confederation Algonquian tribe from a village north of Jamestown. He supplied the Jamestown colony with food and seeds after John Smith befriended him. This trade revived the colony and eased tension between the tribe and the English.